Blackout, the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 mode that was the catalyst for the battle royale genre to enter the series permanently in the form of Warzone, is returning. Black Ops Royale is a new mode coming to Warzone late next week, and it’s an “experience rooted in Call of Duty’s first battle royale.”
“This is an original Blackout-inspired battle royale with no loadouts, no gulag, and no buy stations,” reads the summary. “Wingsuit in, scavenge to survive, upgrade weapons through rarity, master cradle breaches, and outlast 24 rival squads on Avalon’s massive warzone.”
That’s right: Black Ops Royale is set on Avalon, the sprawling map also featured in Endgame, the roguelike-esque mode new to Black Ops 7. That’s key because the official communication stresses that this isn’t a remake of Blackout. Instead, it’s “a unique experience that pays homage to the core Blackout gameplay while keeping the flow of a match feeling right for Warzone players.”
This is Call of Duty battle royale at its simplest once again thanks to the lack of loadouts and buy stations, alongside the return of the wingsuit. At launch, just quads will be available — sorry, solo players — making up 25 teams in each match. If you die and want to respawn, you can either rejoin the fray immediately if you have a redeploy token, or your teammates can bring you back by using a redeploy tower.
Black Ops Royale releases as part of Warzone at 12 a.m. (midnight) on Friday, March 13. The official blog post has deep dives into every facet of the new mode, including weapons, vehicles, perks, killstreaks, and more.